Pocket Pony

[tmsStauffer]

Okay, for the most part Riot leads very well...there are some times though he wants to follow along behind me. He doesn't step on me or push me. He just walks behind me. Every once in a while he'll get too close to me when walking beside me as well. I've tried pushing him back over, smacking his shoulder with my hand and tapping him over with a crop. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't. Any suggestions on helping make this all better

Halt him and back him up and lean up against him with your back!

I have no idea...

[Elizabeth]

When he's leaning on you from the side, stop and yield his forehand away from you by squaring your body to him, looking in his eye and stepping firmly forward toward his shoulder. You may have to have a long whip in your hand the first few times - hold it with the tip upright and your hand 2/3 of the way up it, then raise and lower it several times (keeping the tip upright and the whip parallel to the horse), not hurridly, but smartly, right next to his shoulder. Follow him over as he moves, then stop and praise him. He'll get the message to respect your space. (If he's really stubborn you may have to use the whip to give a tap, using the tip on his shoulder, then immediatly bring the tip back up and continue to raise and lower it.) When he follows you, he's probably looking for comfort - my horse does this when he's a little nervous about something, just to say "You be the lead horse and deal with it for me, ok?" Try to find what it is he's nervous about, and once you're past it he'll probably come up beside you again. It's not a big deal. Hope this helps

[cowgirlj]

I was shown a little trick one time that teaches horses to repsect your space when being led. You have about 2 feet of space between you and your horse on lead. As you walk out, if he crowds you, you swing the end of the rope in a cirlce in front of you and back towards your horse and to his left side quickly. The part of the rope that you are swinging needs to be about a foot or so long so it makes a good zinging sound and if your horse is one that tends to step on you or pushes you with his crowding, he made need to be wacked with the rope as you are backing up (only in extreme dangerous horse cases, and it usually only takes once or twice before he realizes what he needs to do). Usually just the change of your direction and the sound of the rope coming towards him is enough to make him stop and back away from you. Use a long lead, not a standard one or you won't have enough rope to work with. As soon as he stops crowding you and backs off, you reward him by stopping the rope, and praising him. Practise doing this everytime your horse is on lead, and soon he'll be really paying attention to you and the space he should be keeping between you. Ideally your horse should stop when you stop, turn when you turn and respect your space unless invited to come close.

[Salina]

that bronca was nevr much help, was she? lol